Real Estate Friday

While we still have not seen an upturn in the price of housing in the greater Atlanta area, we are seeing signs that the market has stabilized, and perhaps even bottomed out (we won't know the latter until after the fact).  
There are currently 114 active single-family listings in Dunwoody (zip codes 3038, 30360, 30350), with 32 homes under contract.  That ratio of less than 4-to-1 is the best we've seen in sometime (more than three years).
Since the start of October, 22 homes have sold - again a very good number compared to active listings.  The median average sales price is $325,000, with the highest price $758,000 and the lowest $139,900.
To view any active listing (including photos), click on the Buyer's Report link below.  To view a list of all the active listings, click on the CMA Line Report.  To view the sales price of the 22 homes that have sold since the start of October, click the Sold Homes link. 

Buyer's Report
CMA Line Report
Sold Homes

If you have interest in any of the homes currently listed for sale, please give me a call at 404-644-5220 or email me at bobfiscella@kw.com.  I'll be happy to set up a viewing.

Latest Mortgage News

The average rate for a conventional 30-year fixed rate mortgage (FRM) reached a record low, according to Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey. For the first time in history, the 30-year FRM dropped below four percent, averaging 3.94 percent for the week ending October 6, 2011. That's a 0.33 percent difference from last year's average of 4.27 for the same week in October. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage—one of the most popular options for refinancing—fell to 3.26 percent, the lowest level on record.

Runoff Voting Made Easy

Last Tuesday's election draw almost 10,000 Dunwoody voters to the polls.  That's the good news.  The not-so-good news is that number represents less than 37 percent of the registered voters in the city.
On December 6, Dunwoody will hold a runoff election for mayor as well as city council, at large district 1.  If the runoff draws approximately the same numbers as the runoff three years ago, less than 2,000 voters will decide those key positions. 
With that, DeKalb County Board of Elections has made it easy to vote in the runoff.  By clicking on the photo below, you can download the form to request an absentee ballot.



Former Candidate for Mayor Makes Endorsements

I received the following email from former mayoral candidate Gordon Jackson.  I thought Gordon would have made an exceptional mayor - a man of high character who sticks by his principles.

Thanks to those of you who voted for me. I am most appreciative of and humbled by your support. Although I fell a little short in the race, this was an amazing process and I urge your continued participation in the City of Dunwoody affairs. Dunwoody is a great place to live but I can tell you from my discussions with hundreds of citizens, there is no shortage of opinions on what needs to be done or what direction the city should pursue. Your voice needs to be heard in the process. Not only at the polls but also at the City Council meetings and the city boards, the planning commission, etc. Stay involved.

There are two runoff races remaining and the vote for those races will be December 6th. Depending on the results of the runoff races, the council could have a very different philosophical base. I remain very concerned about the power of the big building, high density development agencies in the Perimeter area and their ability to directly affect the direction of Dunwoody growth and completely change the character of the city. Therefore, I am endorsing Mike Davis for mayor since I believe him to be the only candidate now in the race who will fight for a traditional Dunwoody. The attachment contains an advertisement which is running in today's Crier. I urge your support and vote for Mike in the election on December 6th.

In concert with my concern for the direction of the city in the future, I am also endorsing Terry Nall in the runoff council race. I have known Terry for some time and believe him to also stand for traditional Dunwoody values. I also urge your support and vote for Terry on December 6th.

Thanks to you all again. Your support meant more than you will ever know.

Gordon Jackson

Saluting America's Veterans

Today is Veteran's Day.  The City of Dunwoody will honor our veterans with a ceremony at Brook Run at 2pm.  Nationally, the annual ceremony is this morning at Arlington National Cemetery . The ceremony commences precisely at 11:00 a.m. with a wreath laying at the Tomb of the Unknowns and continues inside the Memorial Amphitheater with a parade of colors by veterans' organizations and remarks from dignitaries.  Expect Fox News, CNN and MSNBC to air the ceremony live - always a touching moment. 

To my Dad, I say happy Veteran's Day.  George Fiscella, now 85-years old, is a veteran of World War II, having served aboard the aircraft carrier the USS Randolph in the south Pacific. 

Click on the photo to watch Toby Keith's American Soldier

Dunwoody Rejects Parks Bonds, Two Runoffs

Election Results (unofficial)

Mayor - Bob Dallas - 3787 (43%), Mike Davis - 3389 (39%), Gordon Jackson - 1540 (17%)
District 1 - Terry Nall - 3824 (44%), Robert Wittenstein - 3564 (42%) , Rick Callihan - 1133 (13%)
District 2 - Lynn Deutsch - 4593 (55%), Kerry de Vallette - 3694 (44%)

District 3 - John Heneghan - 7087 (98.9%)

Parks Acquisition Bond - No - 6163 (67%), Yes - 3080 (33%)

Parks Improvement Bond - No - 5531 (60%), Yes - 3715 (40%)

Redevelopment Powers (TAD) - Yes - 4759  (54%), No - 4013 (46%)

Sunday Alcohol Sales - Yes - 7395 (80%), No - 1906 (20%)

SPLOST - Yes - 33114 (62%), No - 20141 (38%) 

The results of Tuesday's election are official with both parks bonds being soundly defeated.  I give a lot of credit to the citizens of Dunwoody.  While most all of us would like to see new and improved parks, these bonds were poorly written and showed a lack of transparency (plus right now, not too many folks can stomach another tax increase).  The new city council will get its chance to deal with parks in a more responsible manner. 

Speaking of the new city council, it will have at least two new members and maybe even three.  The mayor's race is going to a runoff between Bob Dallas and Mike Davis.  Considering all the money Dallas spent, according to The Crier, I'm surprised the vote was that close.  But Dallas does have a war chest to draw from for the runoff, which is December 6.  It will be interesting which way Gordon throws his support (for what it is worth).

In District 1, incumbent Robert Wittenstein was forced into a runoff by Terry Nall, who actually got a greater percentage of the vote.  While Robert apparently has a large war chest for the runoff, history is not on an incumbent's side.  Plus, Rick is likely to throw his support to Terry.

In District 2, Lynn Deutsch beat Kerry de Vallette to win the seat being vacated by Danny Ross.  Congratulations to Lynn.  And in District 3, John Heneghan ran unopposed, picking up over 7,000 votes, which is the most ever by a candidate in Dunwoody.  Congrats John!

The citizens of Dunwoody sent DeKalb County Schools as message, voting against the SPLOT penny sales tax by a margin of almost 2-to-1, however, it passed in the countywide vote by almost a 2-to-1 margin. 

Finally, in the most lopsided race on Tuesday, the citizens of Dunwoody overwhelmingly approved the sale of Sunday alcohol by a margin of 4-to-1!   I, for one, will raise a glass to that!

Election Day

Election Day is finally upon us - hopefully you will take the time to vote.  Below is a sample ballot.  Click on the ballot to enlarge and see both pages.

If you're not sure where to vote, click on the photo below.

Now the hard part - who and what to vote for.  I believe both the Mayor's race and the race for City Council, At Large, Post 4, are headed to runoffs.  Both have been competitive, three-man races.  For City Council, At Large, Post 5, I am voting for Kerry de Vallette.  I have no issues with Lynn Deutsch, but Kerry followed through on reaching out to me, and I share his vision for Dunwoody.  For City Council, At Large, Post 6, I am voting for John Heneghan (he is running unopposed).  I don't always agree with John, but I respect the job he's done.  And when I do disagree with him, he never takes it personally (it's not).

If you've read my blog in the past, you know I am voting NO on the parks' bonds.  It's simply the right thing to do.  They will cost the city too much money, have little in the way of specifics and planning, and have lacked transparency from the start.  I've said my peace on the bonds, for a great synopsis, click Dunwoody Farmer Bob.  Hopefully council will present a responsible parks' plan in 2012. 

I'm not sure how I will vote on the Redevelopment Referendum.  On the surface it seems to be a good idea, but I have some questions that remain unanswered. I've got a little more homework to do.  I will vote YES on Sunday Alcohol Sales.  I may never buy beer on Sunday (not likely), but that needs to be my choice. 

Finally, I will vote NO on DeKalb County School SPLOST.  The county still needs to prove it will spend our taxes dollars wisely.  Hopefully the changes to the superintendent and school board move DCSS in that direction.

Hope to see you at the polls!

College Football at is Best, Dunwoody Clean Up

I know the election is just 3 days away, but it's hard for me to look past Saturday night's latest college football game of the century. 
The top-ranked Tigers of LSU travel to Tuscaloosa to take on second-ranked Alabama.  Both teams are unbeaten.  Both teams riding their hard-hitting defense.  Without offending my Tide friends, I like the Bengal Tigers in this game.  I like LSU's experience at quarterback.  Hopefully the game is worth all the hype. 

Clean, Shine & Fix Up

Saturday is the second annual Clean, Shine & Fix Up Dunwoody Day.  Over 800 volunteers are expected to take part doing various tasks.  My Knights of Columbus coucil will be cleaning up the intersection of I-285 and North Peachtree Rd.  Last year we looked inmates out for the day!
For more, read Dunwoody Patch. 

DunwoodyUSA.com

I have added a domain name to this blogspot.  You can now get to it by going to either:  http://www.dunwoodyusa.blogspot.com/, http://www.dunwoodyusa.org/ and now http://www.dunwoodyusa.com/.  And a reminder, if you ever want to find out about a Dunwoody property for sale, there is a permanent link at the top right of the website - simple click the photo at the top left under Dunwoody Homes for Sale.

Animal House and the Dunwoody City Council

Wondering what the movie clip above (click on the photo to watch) has to do with the Dunwoody City Council?  Keep reading.
Monday night I received a city of Dunwoody update from Councilman Robert Wittenstein (below) - he and Councilman Denis Shortal email updates on a regular basis. 
Normally I try to get the updates turned around and posted ASAP.   However, this time I had to think twice before posting Wittenstein's update.  The reason being - and as you will read - Robert talks about creating "transparent government."  He talks about becoming, possibly, the first city in Georgia to put its checkbook register online. 

While I think that's great, the lack of transparency the city council showed in the proposed $19 million, 42-acre purchase off Peachtree Industrial is a slap in the face of every resident of Dunwoody.  City council should be ashamed (Councilman Shortal was the only one who voted against the purchase). 
In what appears to be an obvious effort to sway next Tuesday's vote on the parks' bonds, and perhaps to ensure there was no public dissent (especially from the families whose lives this decision effects), council waited until the final minute to put the purchase on last Monday night's council meeting agenda (why the rush)?  You don't have to be Sherlock Holmes to come to that conclusion. 
This very well could be the largest purchase by the city in our lifetime, yet council takes a vote on it before letting the taxpaying citizens of Dunwoody have their say.  Are you kidding me? 
Whether you are for or against the parks' bonds, this was flat out wrong.  That's the kind of transparency we got from Vernon Jones.  The citizens of Dunwoody deserve better from a council that had, previously, earned very high marks for transparency.
Wondering about the photo above?  Council's last minute, dark-of-the-night October Surprise in putting this item on the agenda, reminded me of the scene in Animal House when Dean Wormer put the Delta House on double-secret probation.  Except the Dean's move had some merit. 
By the way, below is Councilman Wittenstein's update on transparency.

Update from Councilman Wittenstein

I talk a lot about creating "transparent government" and I want to share an important success with you. I have worked over the last year to get the city to put its checkbook register online. As far as I know, we are the first city in Georgia to do this. While doing research on a different topic, I stumbled upon a city in Florida that posted its check register on its web site and I thought this was a great idea.

The check register has always been public information but historically it required an open records request to find out exactly what the city was buying, who it was buying from, and how much it was paying. Now Dunwoody residents can go online and see the details here: Explore Check Register.
This is dry reading and there is nothing earth shattering in the details but I think it is important to all of us to be able to see exactly how our tax dollars are being spent. I appreciate the other council members and the staff supporting me in this initiative. In the future, I hope we can enhance it so that it is searchable and sortable but this is a great start. This is what it means to create transparent government and I challenge other cities and DeKalb County to do the same.
In other news...we heard loud and clear that many Dunwoody residents were "for parks" but wanted to know exactly how funds would be spent before voting for the parks land acquisition referendum on November 8th. To help voters understand the intended use of funds we have now signed a letter of intent with the owner of two old, run-down, apartment complexes next to the Water Works that front Peachtree-Industrial Boulevard. If the parks acquisition bond referendum passes, the city will purchase one apartment complex for a park and the current owner will demolish and redevelop the other apartment complex into owner-occupied housing.

Parks and Updates

Dunwoody's parks' bonds are attracting attention across the city.  Click on the photo above to watch CBS-46's story on the city's intent to tear down the Dunwoody Glen apartments and turn the land into athletic fields.
I've been quiet since Monday night's last-minute, suspiciously-timed announcement by city council on its loosely-defined plan to spend $19 million to purchase the apartments off Peachtree Industrial, and potentially construct ball fields (or so we are told).  Why the rush?  Is it morally right to essentially eviction five percent of Dunwoody's population, without a relocation plan for these families?  I would like to see fewer apartments and more owner-occupied properties in Dunwoody, but there are better ways to accomplish this.
I agree, parks are right.  However, these bonds are wrong.
I hope to share more of my thoughts in The Crier next week, but for now, read the words of Dunwoody Farmer Bob.  It's hard to argue many of his points.

Update from Councilman Shortal

Councilman Denis Shortal has sent out his regular update.  It's extremely late and I'm staying up well past my bedtime to watch an amazing Game 6 of the World Series, so instead of the time-consuming process of reprinting his words and searching for appropriate photos, you'll have to click on Councilman Shortal to read it.  And with that - this white-knuckler of a game just ended, the Cardinals, in dramatic fashion, beat the Rangers 10-9 in 11 innings to send the Series to a deciding Game 7.  Amazing!  Oh by the way, General Shortal is a Cardinals fan from Missouri.

Dunwoody Set to Purchase 42 Acres for Sports Complex

Below is a release from the City of Dunwoody, which has made plans, if the park's acquisition bond passes, to purchase a 42-acre apartment complex off Peachtree Industrial (between Tilly Mill Rd. and Winters Chapel Rd.)  and turn it into a sports complex.  The cost of the purchase is $19 million. 
One of the major problems I've had with each of the two bonds is the lack of specifics.  This certainly goes a long way towards answering some of my questions regarding specifics.  However, I still feel the city is taking on too much debt (this is a want and not a need), and with this purchase, why is the purchase of the old Emory Hospital site necessary?  What becomes of that land? 
The potential purchase of this property is a big step in the right direction as far as specifics, but there are still many unanswered questions.

Dunwoody, Ga. – October 24, 2011 - The City of Dunwoody has concluded negotiations with Cortland Partners, LLC and plans to acquire 42 acres of land for $19,000,000 on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard for the development of a consolidated sports complex. The new sports complex would replace the existing 519 unit Dunwoody Glen apartment complex. In addition to the new sports complex, in the Letter of Intent, Cortland Partners agrees to demolish and redevelop the adjacent 266 unit Lacota Apartments Complex into owner occupied housing in concert with the development of the sports complex. The total site includes 63 acres and over 785 existing apartment units.

“This purchase sets in motion the accomplishment of many of the goals in our adopted Parks, Recreation and Open Space Master Plan,” said Mayor Ken Wright. “It provides us with adequate space for a much needed sports complex to meet the needs of our youth as well as freeing up Dunwoody Park for the expansion of the Dunwoody Nature Center.”
Mayor Wright continued, saying, “The City regrets the need to displace residents (785 apartment units), however, in a built out environment like Dunwoody, we have found it challenging to locate a sufficient amount of vacant land for the athletic facilities desired by the community. The City will work with Cortland Partners on a transition plan for the current residents, which includes 560 school age children who are in the Dunwoody cluster; all current leases will be honored without the threat of early cancellation.”
This purchase is contingent upon the passage of the Parks Bond for Acquisition (Nov. 2011). If the referendum fails, the City will drop the contract without financial penalty.
City Manager Warren Hutmacher explained, “Combined with the 19 acres under contract on North Shallowford Road, with this purchase the City has identified for the voters 61 acres of property that will be purchased if the Parks Bond Acquisition referendum passes. This deal provides an assurance to the voters for how over 75% of the bond funds ($25,000,000 out of $33,000,000) will be spent.”
Mr. Hutmacher continued, saying, “The remaining bond funds will likely be spent on some smaller neighborhood parks and the acquisition of land for a ’Town Green’ in Dunwoody Village. This purchase provides transparency for the citizens of Dunwoody; when the voters go to the polls, they will now know what properties will be purchased if they approve the Parks Bond Acquisition referendum.”
For more information please contact City Manager Warren Hutmacher, at 678-382-6700.

Last Candidate Forum

If you still are undecided who to vote for in the November 8 elections, there is one last candidate forum 6:45pm Tuesday night at Peachtree Charter Middle School. 
The forum is on sustainability and will be geared towards questions on topics such as solid waste management, air & water quality and sustainable funding.  There is a meet-and-greet from 6pm-6:45pm.

City Council Meeting

The Dunwoody City Council meets this evening at 6pm at City Hall.  There is a work session followed by a voting session.  Click here for the agenda for the voting session.  Among the items to be voted on:  the 2012 budget.